Houston Astros owner Jim Crane says he is open to the idea of Roger Clemens pitching for his team this season and that he and his staff are preparing for that possibility, according to FOX 26 in Houston.

“If it goes all right and he comes to us, we'll talk to baseball about it at length," Crane told FOX 26. "The only thing we don't want to do is make it a publicity stunt. If we did it, I want to try and take it and turn it into a positive, which would be Roger's doing it for the good of baseball. The extra proceeds on the game might go to the (Astros') community charity deal to build (baseball) fields, do something positive out of it.

"I think the fans might like it. It might be fun and certainly get a few people in the ballpark. I don't see anything negative about that, but the Astros wouldn't want to do it for the money, the extra gate or anything like that."

Clemens has a personal service contract with the Astros, and Crane admits he would like Clemens to serve as a part-time coach and tutor for his young staff, perhaps as soon as next season. But for at least part of this season, Clemens might be a teammate.

In his 24-season major league career, Clemens went 354-184 with a 3.12 ERA and 4,672 strikeouts. He was an 11-time All-Star, the 1986 AL MVP and a seven-time Cy Young Award winner.

His possible return has been met with both skepticism and criticism, as some believe Clemens’ goal is to pitch in the majors in September and push back his Hall of Fame candidacy by five seasons. He is eligible to appear on the Hall of Fame ballot later this year, but he might be trying to separate himself from the steroid era by delaying his candidacy.

Clemens’ return, while unexpected, wouldn’t be unprecedented. After all, 49-year-old Jamie Moyer started 10 games (and won two) for the Colorado Rockies earlier this season after missing the entire 2011 season as he rehabbed from Tommy John surgery.